Woman Sues Herself In Wrongful Death Case

Average Ridiculous Rating

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

It’s one thing to hold yourself responsible for the mistakes of the past. But it’s quite another to actually sue yourself for them.

But that’s exactly what’s happening in Utah, where a Utah Court of Appeals has ruled that Barbara Bagley can indeed bring a wrongful death suit against herself for negligence in the death of her husband.

In 2011, Bagley was driving in the Nevada desert when she struck a sagebrush and flipped her Range Rover, throwing her husband from the vehicle. He later died of his injuries. Bagley’s suit claims that she “fail[ed] to maintain a proper lookout” while driving.

So, what could possibly bring a woman to sue herself? Would you believe money?

Before Bagley can inherit the worth of her husband’s estate, all creditors must be paid first. In suing herself, she’s really seeking to have her insurance pay the creditors instead that cost coming out of her pocket.

Attorneys are looking to have the suit dismissed, pointing out how bizarre and confusing it might be for a jury to have to decide if Bagley’s negligence caused her own trauma, and the possible absurdity of the jury ordering Bagley to compensate herself if she indeed won the suit.

After all, if Bagley were to be victorious, she would end up actually being rewarded for her own negligence that killed her husband.

This probably makes for the most ridiculous, and possibly the most expensive, case of a person arguing with themselves in history.